If it does happen, can they just give us Westlake as compensation?
If it does happen, can they just give us Westlake as compensation?
Please excuse my language, but they'd better f***ing well not get anything back.
So you know before the High Court judge has made his ruling in the arbitration hearing on April 14th?
Leeds United's attempt to overturn the Football League's 15-point penalty comes to arbitration on April 14 and the composition of the panel that will sit in judgment raises some intriguing questions.
The three-man panel will be headed by Sir Philip Otton, an experienced football arbitrator whose judgments have been some of the most controversial in English football history. Otton chaired the Premier League's proceedings against Ashley Cole, Jose Mourinho and Chelsea which led to £600,000 in fines being handed down for tapping-up, a sum reduced on appeal.
Otton was later accused by Sheffield United of having made an "error in law" for not ordering a fresh hearing of the Carlos Tevez third-party-ownership case, although he felt the Premier League should have docked points from West Ham United.
But, if the Leeds chairman, Ken Bates, comes to ask his former manager Dennis Wise (to one of whose children Bates is godfather), he might consider Otton to be a safe pair of hands. The former court of appeals judge was, after all, one of the three disciplinary commissioners who ordered Leicester City to reinstate Wise and merely fine him two weeks' wages after the club had terminated his contract for breaking Callum Davidson's jaw.
Joining Otton is Peter Cadman, who has also chaired past Premier League disciplinary commissions. But Leeds may be concerned about the involvement of Peter Leaver, the former Premier League chief executive.
Leaver was sacked by the clubs for awarding the former BSkyB executives Sam Chisholm and David Chance lucrative consultancy contracts without first asking his paymasters' permission. Bates's close friend, Sir Dave Richards, succeeded him. Writing in a newspaper column at the time Bates said Leaver had left the league in a "mess".
High Court judge?
High Court judge?
High Court writ - Court of Appeal Judge.
BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Leeds United | Lawyer rates Leeds' points battle
Edited to say look at the third paragraph from the bottom.
I suppose it depends which media report you read.
"It's a tough one for the arbitration panel. I think where Leeds have got some comfort is that it's my understanding that the three-man panel is chaired by a very senior High Court judge or a Court of Appeal judge, so there's going to be some sanity to the arbitration proceedings and I think they will apply a legalistic approach to them."
If it turns out to be true I hope all the other league clubs get together and take the FL to court.
If it turns out to be true I hope all the other league clubs get together and take the FL to court.